"I would like to report to the Emperor that everything under my command has been prepared. In a little while, the army will be assembled in place and can be set off only after the Emperor's order."
When Li Zhi heard this, he was satisfied, but he didn't know that Xue Rengui knew that Qin Xiaole had conquered Tubo and made great achievements. At this time, he felt not only admiration but also a little unfair. He thought that he had defeated Dafeichuan in the battle against Tubo and was beaten to pieces by Tubo. He couldn't figure it out.
How could a boy from the Xu family overcome the shortcomings of high-altitude warfare with only a meager force and achieve the glorious result of severely inflicting heavy losses on the Tibetan army?
He attributed this to luck and did not look for the reasons for his failure from his own shortcomings.
Xue Rengui had a high self-esteem, thinking that he was versatile in both civil and military affairs, and was often jealous of others who could not tolerate others who were stronger than him. This was also the reason why he opposed Qi King Qin Wenyuan several times, and was not favored by Xu Tian, and even disdained him.
After Chen hour the next day, the Prime Minister of Tubo led several Tubo nobles, accompanied by the Prime Minister of Honglu Temple of the Tang Dynasty, to meet Li Zhi in the Ganlu Hall of Taiji Palace. After paying homage, Gar Dongzan Yusong said respectfully.
"The Tubo minister Gar Dongzan Yusong went to China as an envoy on the orders of our king to beg the Emperor of China to grant Tubo's intention to seek peace. He ordered the release of Tibetan prisoners of war, and asked the Tuyuhun royal family to choose a daughter to marry the Tubo royal family and cede some land.
With me, Tubo, in this way, Tubo is willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty, respect the emperor as the Khan of Heaven, and hope that the emperor will grant Tibet's request."
When the prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty heard the words of the Tibetan Prime Minister, they all felt angry in their hearts. They thought that Tubo was defeated today, but they still put on a victor's posture and came to ask for peace and put forward many conditions. I really don't know what to say.
Prime Minister Hao Chujun said angrily.
"Is this the attitude of Tubo in seeking peace? I miss you. Tubo repeatedly invaded the Tang border, burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. They only relied on the advantage of the terrain. Now our Tang Empire has long been able to deal with plateau operations.
How dare you, a small country, to go against a large country? Since you are seeking peace, you must have an attitude of seeking peace and hope that the Prime Minister will pay attention to what you say."
After hearing this, the Prime Minister of Tubo, Gar Dongzan Yusong, and other nobles all had bad expressions on their faces.
Li Zhi was sitting on the dragon bed. Hearing Tubo's words of peace, he felt angry. He thought that the Tubo barbarians were very rude, so he said sharply.
"Tubo begs me to forgive the crime it committed. It should be modest and ask for the return of the captives. The rest is irrelevant. Tuyuhun is the territory of the empire. How can it be at the mercy of others? If I can confer the title of King of Tubo, I can also issue an edict to demote him.
Tubo has so many desires that it is hard to satisfy. It is extremely rude. If you don’t know how to advance or retreat anymore, why don’t you ask for peace this time?”
When the Tibetan envoys and others heard Li Zhi's stern words, they all looked at each other and did not dare to be dissatisfied.
The Prime Minister of Tubo, Gar Dongzan Yusong, and other nobles were very dissatisfied when they heard that the Tang emperor refused to make peace with Tuyuhun and cede the land. Although he had the authorization of King Mangsong Mangzan of Tubo, he made improvised arrangements and maintained the bottom line of Tubo according to the situation.
, he had the right to sign a peace treaty with the Tang Dynasty. However, this man did not want Tubo to lose face. He was hoping that the Tang Dynasty would go to war with Xiliang and would not have time to fight with Tubo. He wanted to force Datang to
The imperial court agreed to Tubo's request, but actually suspended the matter of peace, but also sent people to bribe Tang court officials in Chang'an City, hoping that the bribed officials would speak up for Tubo's request.
While expecting the Tang Dynasty to agree to the Tibetan request, Prime Minister Gar Dongzan Yusong was not only afraid that the Tibetan army led by Gar Qinling in Dafeichuan would be surrounded and annihilated by the Tang army, but also hoped that the Tibetan army would be able to
Defeating the Tang army caused Tubo to seek peace with the Tang Dynasty, which reversed the trend and took the initiative, allowing people to pay close attention to the battle situation between the Tang army and Tubo, so that he could make the correct decision to seek peace at the first time.
Just as the Tibetan Prime Minister was worried, at this time, the Tubo army, which was confronting Xu Xiaole's troops outside Dafei Sichuan, gathered tens of thousands of Tibetan troops who had been defeated by the Tang army in a dangerous position, increasing their strength to 80,000.
Although the Tubo army numbered 80,000, it had a fatal weakness, that is, Marshal Gar Qinling had vomited blood twice and his body was unable to handle military affairs. Now all wars with the Tang army are led by counselor Gar Zan.
Commander Lu.
When Gar Zanlu took over the army, the first thing he faced was the shortage of food and grass. Secondly, the morale of the Tibetan army was low. If he could not lead his army to break through Wuhai City in a short time, retreat to the river mouth and obtain food and grass, then,
These 80,000 Tubo troops will undoubtedly be trapped to death by the Tang army.
At this time, the Tang garrison in Langzhou and Hezhou had already replaced the Jinwu cavalry guarding Hekou and Wuhai City, completing the defense of the two places.
Qin Xiaole led the elite cavalry of the Jinwu Guard who returned to the army, constantly harassing and harassing the Tibetan armies of the Gar Qinling tribe who were defending in dangerous areas and stubbornly resisted attacks by the Tang army.
It is a pity that the artillery shells carried by the 500 personal guards led by Qin Nian and Jiang have been exhausted, leaving only ammunition for light weapons. Otherwise, Qin Xiaole would definitely dare to launch a frontal attack on the 80,000 Tibetan troops, so that they could annihilate the enemy troops as soon as possible.
End the battle.
80,000 Tibetan troops were trapped, and the generals in the army were living like a year. They finally tasted what it was like when Xue Rengui defeated Dafeichuan.
Gar Zanlu sent his generals and troops to attack the Tang army several times in an attempt to break out of the encirclement. However, they were repulsed by the Tang army's 30,000 elite cavalry, which used strong soldiers and horses to avoid direct combat and only to consume the Tibetan troops.
As the two armies continued to fight every day, most of the Tubo generals were sniped and killed from a distance by the five hundred guards of the Qin army who were scattered around. Such a strange and special method of killing enemy generals made the Tubo generals fearful and hide in the battlefield.
He dared not show his face among the soldiers.
Qin Xiaole's troops launched a harassment campaign against the Tibetan army for nearly half a month, and the results were astonishing. The Tibetan army, which was already exhausted, hungry and cold, had reached the critical point of complete defeat.
Just when Qin Xiaole defeated the Tibetan army and had no fighting spirit anymore, and was about to launch a frontal attack with tens of thousands of Tibetan troops, Li Jingxuan, the general manager of the Taohe Road march in the Tang Dynasty, General Zuo Wuwei, and General Heizhi Changzhifeng, the inspector Zuo Yulin Army
The decree has arrived.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! In the Tang army's military tent, Li Jingxuan read out the emperor's edict, ordering Xu Xiaole to release the Tibetan prisoners, expel the remaining Tibetan forces, and lead 30,000 Jinwu cavalry to stand by in Shancheng.
The strategic purpose of conquering Tubo and restoring Tuyuhun to the country.
After the imperial edict was read out, several people sat down in the Chinese military tent and talked about the affairs of the imperial court. Qin Xiaole learned that the Tang Dynasty agreed to Tibet's decision to seek peace and normalize diplomatic relations between the two sides.
This matter is said to be God's will. It turned out that the Tubo King Mangsong Mangzan suddenly died of illness, and the new king Songmangbojie Longlangchi succeeded to the throne. However, the new King of Tubo was young at this time, and his mother Chimalun acted as regent, which made Tubo
The situation in the dynasty suddenly became tense.
The Tibetan Prime Minister who was in Chang'an City received this news, and thinking about the tense dynastic situation, he begged Li Zhi to agree to Tubo's peace proposal. He no longer dared to ask for peace and land cession, but instead asked the Tang Dynasty court to confer the title of the new Tubo king.
An order was sent to Qin Xiaole to stop his troops.
When Qin Xiaole received the order, the trapped Tubo army also received an order from the Tubo Dynasty to make them retreat and return the lost territory to the Tang Dynasty.
Gar Qinling learned of the Tubo king's order, held on to his weak body, and led his troops to negotiate with Qin Xiaole, Li Jingxuan, Hei Chi Changzhi and other Tang generals. In front of the two armies, Gar Qinling spoke to Qin Xiaole.
"The general is versatile in both civil and military affairs. He leads troops well. He has the help of heaven-defying artifacts. I was defeated and the general's men were convinced, so they left with their troops. I hope the general will not make things difficult for us."
Qin Xiaole bowed his hands in salute on horseback and said solemnly.
"Tubo is a small country. Taking advantage of its geographical advantage, it thought that the Tang army could not attack it. It did not care about the favor of the heaven, but it often harassed our soldiers and robbed our soldiers and civilians, and committed heinous crimes against our heaven. My emperor is kind.
, unwilling to kill them all, I hope that Tubo will be grateful and stop doing unjust things, so that the border people can live in peace and not be disturbed by the war. Otherwise, I will definitely lead my troops to kill the Tibetan dynasty. I hope that the general will do his best.
"
After Qin Xiaole said this, Gar Qinling heard it and felt a sudden surge of blood. He quickly suppressed his thoughts, folded his hands and left sadly without saying a word.
Not long after walking, the man vomited blood and fell into coma again.
After tens of thousands of Tang troops escorted the Tibetan troops out of Hekou, 30,000 Jinwu guards returned to Wuhai City to rest and recuperate.
Qin Xiaole was ordered to leave Wuhai and go to Shancheng to wait for orders. When he was leaving, he spoke to Li Jingxuan in the Chinese army tent with his black teeth.
"The two generals were ordered to garrison here. Qin has a suggestion that he hopes the two generals will adopt."
After hearing what Qin Xiaole said, Li Jingxuan said respectfully.
"General, please give me some advice, and I'll just do it."
Qin Xiaole said with a smile.
"Qin went on an expedition here and discovered that the biggest drawback of using troops here is that several cities are far apart, information cannot be transmitted in time, and transportation is not smooth. If you want to solve this drawback, you can let the soldiers choose important places to place dozens of beacons.
, using fireworks as a signal to convey the message of enemy harassment, and at the same time, the sergeants can be used to cultivate the fields to provide supplies for the garrison. In this way, the Heyuan defense line will be unbreakable and the Tibetans will no longer be able to harass."
After hearing Qin Xiaole's suggestion, Li Jingxuan and Hei Te Changzhi stood in awe, raised their hands and said.
"This is a wonderful strategy. We will bear in mind the general's heartfelt words. Please accept our bows."
Qin Xiaole stood up and supported the two men and said: "You two generals do not need to pay such a courtesy. We are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. It is our responsibility to protect our family and the country, so we should work together."
After speaking, the three of them said goodbye in the military tent.
Several cannons were fired in Wuhai City, hundreds of flags were flying, and 30,000 cavalry and 500 personal guardsmen were neatly arranged on horseback and slowly left the city. Xu Xiaole was fully clothed, surrounded by dozens of armored generals, on horseback.
He bowed his hands and said goodbye to Li Jingxuan, Hei Chi Changzhi and other Tang army generals who came to see him off.
In October of the third year of the "Yifeng" reign of the Tang Dynasty (678), Qin Xiaole led his troops to fight against Tubo. After nearly a year of fighting with Tubo, Tubo was finally defeated, recovered the lost territory of the Tang Dynasty, and forced Tubo to sue for peace and become a vassal.
When the army arrived at the city gate of Shancheng, the local officials and people of Shancheng gathered at the city gate to welcome them. Shancheng's military and political chiefs, officials at all levels, elders of the city, wealthy businessmen, etc. gathered under the city gate. When Qin Xiaole arrived, they all stepped forward and offered their hands.
To greet each other, the military and political chief of Shancheng said respectfully.
"I am here to welcome the general and his troops on their triumphant return. The general and all the officers and men have worked hard for the country. Please accept my respects."
When Qin Xiaole heard this, he dismounted and said with his hands raised.
"My lords, there is no need to be polite to my fellow countrymen. Qin's troops are all imperial soldiers. It is natural for them to protect their home and country..."
After the welcoming ceremony outside the city, Qin Xiaole led his troops into the city, waving to the cheering people on horseback. His handsome and heroic appearance attracted the hearts of many young ladies here and attracted the admiration of many young men.
The sound of drum music announced that the 30,000 Jinwu cavalry following the general's honor guard were neatly dressed and had strict military discipline. They could be called the mighty division of the Tang Dynasty. They controlled the horses and marched slowly in the city.
The sound of horse hooves on the road in the city was heard, and the cheers were loud. The knights on horseback all raised their chests and raised their heads, with solemn expressions on their faces, as if they were sung in a poem.
It's exactly: "The colorful flags of the dawn are turning outward, and the spring breeze is returning to the horse's willow."
The Tang Dynasty's campaign against Tubo came to an end, and the imperial court was ready to conquer the West. In the Chang'an Palace, Li Zhi sat on the dragon couch, and under the golden palace, Li Chunfeng, the imperial eunuch, reported to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, it will be an auspicious day to send troops in a few days. The Emperor's Star will hang high and shine brightly. It will be auspicious and good luck!"
Li Zhi heard this and said with a golden mouth.
"Very good! The army will set out in a few days. During my personal expedition to Xiliang, Prince Li Xian will supervise the country and oversee all major military and political affairs. All officials will be briefed. If there is any undecision, we can discuss it with the Queen of Heaven to make a decision."
Prince Li Xian accepted the order, and Li Zhi said again.
"In this expedition to Xiliang, except for Xue Rengui as the Marshal of the Expedition to the West, General Cheng will be appointed as the general manager of the rear army, and the governor's army will be stationed at Yumen Pass to provide food and grass, so as not to miss the front army's campaign."
Xue Rengui and Cheng Yaojin heard this and accepted the order without mentioning it.
After retiring from the court, Li Zhi and the prince visited the "Prince Qi's Mansion" in person. The ladies welcomed the emperor and the prince into the mansion to serve tea, and Qin Wenyuan, who was practicing Taoism in the mansion, was invited out.
After Qin Wenyuan heard the report, he got up from the Taoist temple and went to the hall to pay homage to the emperor. After the prince passed by, he asked what he was summoning for, and Li Zhi said:
"I want to personally conquer Xiliang and make the prince supervise the country. In order to protect the empire, my brother, Prince Qi, should assist the prince during this period. Don't allow unscrupulous people to take the opportunity to cause chaos."
When Qin Wenyuan heard this, he was very unhappy. He thought that I didn't care about worldly affairs and concentrated on seeking the truth. How could I have time to care about your court affairs? How could I have promised the late emperor Li Shimin to protect the Li family's country? I thought that I couldn't get away from you.
The Li family's claws pondered for a moment and said calmly.
"The emperor is leading the expedition to the west. During the period when the prince is supervising the country, he should govern the country according to the national policy. If there is any indecision or there is chaos in the state government, he can be summoned to the palace to deal with it. In normal times, the emperor forgives his ministers and cannot come to the court to listen to the government.
"
After hearing this, Li Zhi saw that the purpose of making Qin Wenyuan sit in the empire was achieved, so he naturally would not force Qin Wenyuan to come to court every day to listen to politics. He smiled and agreed to his request. Afterwards, the three of them drank tea in the hall and talked about Qin Xiaole's victory over Tubo. Qin Wenyuan was not excited at all.
With an expression on his face, he just said lightly.
"Tubo is a land of farming and livestock and is located on a plateau. Due to the geographical advantage and traffic congestion, Dafeichuan was able to defeat Xue Rengui's troops and severely damage the Tang army. It was precisely because of the disadvantages of using the Tang army's supplies to supplement the difficulties. This was not because Tubo's soldiers made the country prosperous.
It was the result of taking advantage of the geographical advantage. Qin Xiaole led the army to fight against Tubo. This was to avoid the shortcomings of the Tang army. He adopted the strategy of attacking with light armor and supporting the war with battle. This made Tubo unsuitable for such special warfare tactics. The Tang army was naturally able to win. This was